If you’re so so about beets, or better yet, despise them, then I’m hoping to change your mind. I understand because beets were my ultimate yuk food as a kid, but I’ve  grown to love them as I’ve discovered their incredible flavors and versatility.

Beet Basics

 Chioggia or candy stripe beets are from the Italian region of that name. They’re dramatically two-toned, with concentric circles of ruby and white when raw. When cooked, their rings turn to a soft rose— so eye-catching and painterly. Cylindrical beets are fabulous for ease of preparation. The cooked skin slips from the burgundy flesh, and when sliced, they topple into perfect rounds just like carrots. Golden beets have an orange skin but cook up yellow sweet. They lack the rich flavor of red beets but they make up for it in tidiness, and won’t turn your hands into a scene from Macbeth. Red Beets like Red Ace are sweet with an earthy mineral undertone, and dependable, getting you through the winter with soups and salads.

Beet Techniques

 Steam or blanch beets for 1 to 3 minutes, so they lose their raw edge but remain crunchy and sweet. This works well if you grate or julienne them—a perfect prep technique for salads, quick pickles, or beets in Greek yogurt with salt, garlic and lemon juice. 

Try this quick herring and beet salad. Pickled herring is tasty with earthy beets and apples. Chop peeled beets into a small dice and blanch for two minutes, drain and rinse under cold water. Dice a sweet yet tart apple of the same size. Mince a couple of green onions. Rinse and drain ½ cup of pickled herring. Toss together in a salad bowl. Make a dressing with 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish, 1 teaspoon dill seed, a big squeeze of lemon, ½ teaspoon sea salt, and 1 cup sour cream. Fold dressing into salad and serve.

Use an Instant Pot —

Stab whole beets with a knife, set into a steamer basket with 1 cup water in the inner pot. Use high pressure: 15 minutes for small beets and up to 35 minutes for larger ones. The skins will slide off after cooking.

Roasting is the way to go for the utmost flavor! Peel the beets, dice, rub with oil, add salt and spices and roast at 425 F. Stir every 20 minutes for up to an hour on a parchment -lined sheet pan.

Five Favorite Roasting Flavor Combos: 1) black pepper, allspice and ginger; 2) Szechuan pepper, star anise, coriander and orange; 3) clove, cinnamon, black pepper and fennel; 4) garlic, cilantro and cumin; 5) dill, mustard and horseradish

Beet kvass is a traditional Slavic and Baltic probiotic beverage made by fermenting beets in brine. The natural lactic acid bacteria on the vegetable breaks down the carbohydrates into lactic acid, carbon dioxide and other compounds, resulting in a tangy, effervescent tonic. 

The fermentation process preserves nutrients and creates beneficial enzymes, vitamins and probiotics. Beet kvass is said to support digestion and liver function.

Use 3 medium beets, chopped with 1 tablespoon of sea salt and filtered water. Place chopped beets in a 1/2 gallon glass jar with the salt. Fill the jar with filtered water, leaving 2-inches headroom at the top. Seal the jar loosely and let sit at room temperature for 3-5 days to ferment. Taste the kvass after 3 days - when it’s pleasantly tangy, strain out the beets and transfer the liquid to the fridge. Drink chilled. It’ll keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.